Essex is the 68th best places to live in the UK 2015

When focusing on the quality of life you can get, we definitely have lots of diversity in every area of the England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland statistical regions. This means that if you are trying to find a good place to relocate to, it is really vital to do your research and make sure you choose somewhere that can give you a comfortable lifestyle in the areas that matter to you most.

Whether you are looking to move at the moment or are just curious about how the UK is divided in terms of the best places to live and the worst for quality of life, uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index is designed to offer the kind of insight you need.

We have taken 2015 data for a wide range of different things, all of which have an impact on general quality of life, and performed a detailed statistical analysis that has allowed us to create a league table of the 138 statistical regions the UK is divided into for analysis purposes.

With the 2015 table, we can also make comparisons to a similar study done by uSwitch in 2013, and show how a given place has improved or declined in quality of life terms in that time.

The Essex CC statistical region is one that has dropped down the table slightly since 2013, falling from 53rd to 68th place for quality of life. Here are some of the statistics for Essex:

Employment

Essex has a fairly good rate of employment comparative to the rest of the UK, at 74%. 50% of people are in full time work, too, which is well above average. However, it does have a high percentage of people working more hours than is generally considered good for quality of life, with 26% of people in Essex working over 45 hours a week on a regular basis.

Income

Incomes in Essex are above average for the whole of the UK, with the average Essex resident having a gross weekly income of £498.18 in 2015. Disposable incomes are high compared to averages too, with the average household having a disposable annual income of £18,721.

House Prices

House prices are much higher than the UK average in Essex with the average home costing £240,916.67 in 2015. The average rent per person, per week in 2015 was £84, which is incredibly high.

Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in Essex is slightly above UK averages, with male life expectancy at 80 and female at 84.

Living Costs

Living costs are well above average, though fairly standard for the South East of England. A weekly grocery shop for a household costs £60. Petrol prices are about average at 117p, though car insurance is expensive at £525.20. If you want to check you’re on the cheapest insurance head over to our insurance comparison page

Other Important Factors

All of the areas in our study have their pros and cons, and Essex is no exception with good incomes, but a high cost of living.

More to life than rankings

At uSwitch, we know that there is more to life than rankings, stats and figures, and our Qualify of Life Index merely highlights the vast differences in the experiences of people across the UK.

Whether you're living in the best city or the worst, millions of households in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland face financial struggles including rising energy bills and credit card debt. That's why it's more important than ever for households to assess their budgets, and uSwitch.com offers a great way to start.

Below you can find ways to save on everything from car insurance to mobile bills.

About the research

The uSwitch.com study assessed 138 local areas (NUTS3 regions) for 26 factors such as salaries, disposable household income, and the cost of essential goods including food bills, fuel costs and energy bills. The study also factored in lifestyle issues like hours of sunshine, working hours and life expectancy to ensure a full picture of the quality of life in each NUTS3 region.

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